"Um...h-hello...." Cyrus awkwardly replied to the mystery woman below him.
"You can come down now!" The woman then said. "The cryptid is dead!"
"Cryptid?" The young man said in a confused tone.
"Yeah!" The woman nodded with a smile. "I was chasing that thing around for the last thirty minutes, but it managed to get away from me. Sorry about that. You know how elusive those things can be."
Okay, this was starting to get weirder and weirder with each passing second. Who was this woman? What the hell was a cryptid? Where did all that water come from? And why was she acting so...normal? Cyrus had no clue what to make of any of this. In his mind, he was certain that he had finally gone insane. However, if there was ever a time to try and get some answers, then it was right now.
"W-who...who are you?!" The young man asked in a shaky voice.
"I'm with the DPA!" The woman replied.
"The DPA? What's that?!"
"What?"
"I've never heard of that before. What is it?"
The woman seemed genuinely surprised at that statement. Almost as if Cyrus should've known what this DPA thing was.
"Oh...damn." The woman cursed. "Don't tell me...did you just recently awaken?"
"Awaken?" Cyrus gave the woman a perplexed look.
The young man watched as the woman mumbled something to herself before pulling out her phone. She then scrolled through one of the apps on the device for a few seconds before looking back up at him.
"Okay, let's start over." The woman began. "My name is Ayako Watanabe. I'm an agent working for the DPA, the Department of Paranormal Activity. A government agency that specializes in all things magical and supernatural."
"What?!" Cyrus looked at the woman now identified as Ayako Watanabe as if she were out of her mind. "What the hell are you talking about?! Do you really expect me to believe something like that?!"
"I do, actually." She replied. "I mean, why wouldn't you? You just had an encounter with a cryptid. Did you not?"
"I don't even know what a cryptid is."
Ayako let out an annoyed sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. She was obviously not in the mood for whatever was going on right now. At least according to what Cyrus could tell.
"Okay, kid, I'm going to ask you three questions. All of which are very important. Do you mind answering them?"
"What's going to happen to me if I do?"
"That pretty much depends on your answers."
"Do you have any intention to harm me?" Cyrus then asked. That was the biggest concern on his mind right now.
"No, I don't." Ayako answered. "There would be no point in doing so."
Against his better judgment, Cyrus decided to play along with the woman for now. Then again, it wasn't like he had much choice in the matter. After all, he was still stuck in a tree, and she somehow managed to take down that monster with ease. So it was safe to say that if this Ayako lady wanted to hurt him, she could do so anytime she wanted.
"Alright...what are your questions?"
"Have you had any near-death experiences lately? Like falling off a bridge, getting mauled by a wild animal, getting stabbed in the chest, stuff like that?"
"I got hit by a car the other day." Cyrus answered.
"I see...." Ayako nodded in understanding before moving on. "Second question. Have you noticed any changes to your body recently? Like an increase in your overall speed, strength, and agility. Or your senses being heightened?"
"Y-yes, I have."
"Final question. Ever since your car accident, have you been seeing these weird-looking creatures in random places? Most of them should be around the size of a cat or a small animal. But a few of them might've been the size of a person."
"Y-Yeah..." The man almost hesitated to answer. 'How the hell did she know that?'
"Bonus question! Have you been experiencing an annoying buzz in the back of your head whenever these creatures are close to you?"
"Okay, what the hell is going on here?!" Cyrus shouted. This mystery woman was making way too many accurate assumptions about him for his liking.
"To make things simple for you to understand, you're a sorcerer!"
...
...
...
"A what?!"
"A sorcerer." Ayako repeated. "A special race of humans that are capable of perceiving, wielding, and manipulating mana. That car accident you survived must've been the catalyst that activated your mana core. It's a pretty normal occurrence for those of us who don't awaken when we hit puberty."
"Okay, time out!" Cyrus held his hands up in a "T" shape. "I'm going to need you to slow down and take several steps back on this."
"No problem." Ayako agreed. "Hey, how about you come down from there and we can talk about it somewhere else? There's a small park a bit further ahead where we can discuss this in a more comfortable setting."
Seeing as he had no real reason to refuse, Cyrus agreed with the woman's proposal. He took a couple of minutes to free himself from the tree before following her to the aforementioned destination. The young man had no clue as to what was about to happen. But Cyrus Moore had a feeling that he was in for a long night.
-(o)-
After roughly five minutes of walking, Cyrus and Ayako found themselves sitting at a picnic table at the far end of the nearby park. A suitable location that gave them some privacy, along with some decent light.
"Okay, Mr. Moore." Ayako said once she got comfortable. "You can ask me any questions that you want."
"Let's just start from the beginning." Cyrus steadied his nerves. "Who are you and who do you work for?"
"Like I said before, my name is Ayako Watanabe. I'm an agent working for the Department of Paranormal Activity. A government organization that handles and monitors all things magical and supernatural."
"Okay, I got that part." The young man then said. "You also said that you were a sorcerer, if I heard that right?"
"Yes, I am."
"And what are sorcerers exactly?"
"To keep things simple, sorcerers are humans capable of perceiving, wielding, and manipulating mana."
"Mana?"
"It's almost exactly what you think it is. Like in all those fantasy novels and cartoons, mana is a substance that exists within our world that allows people like you and me to perform magic. Now, before you ask, we don't know all there is to know about mana yet. It's essentially still a black box to even the most knowledgeable of sorcerer scientists. But, we do know that it exists within nature and is all around us."
Cyrus was hoping that all of this was just some sort of weird dream. But against his better judgment, he decided to keep pushing forward. "So...you're telling me that magic actually exists?"
Ayako was getting ready to respond, but held her tongue. Instead, the woman decided that a visual example of what she was talking about would be far better than explaining it verbally. She then held up her left hand with her palm facing upwards.
With a look of pure amazement, Cyrus watched as an orb of water the size of a baseball suddenly materialized into existence right in the middle of Ayako's hand. Before the young man could get a word out, the woman then released whatever control she had over the water ball. Allowing a few drops to fall onto Cyrus' hands.
"Yes, magic does exist. It's as real as the air we breathe and the ground we walk on."
"Oh my god...." The young man felt like the world was starting to spin. This was way too much information for him to properly process. "And that...creature...what was it?"
"A cryptid. Well, a howler to be exact." Ayako replied. "A magical beast, essentially. They're creatures created in one of three ways. The first is from pure mana. Every so often, in places with high amounts of natural mana, small portions of that mana gather together into one spot and create a magical lifeform."
"And the second?"
"When an animal gains the ability to wield and manipulate mana. They evolve into a cryptid that's usually more powerful and dangerous than the ones that just occur naturally. As for the third, it's pretty simple. Cryptids can also give birth to other cryptids under the right conditions."
"Wow."
"For the most part, their forms are basically random and determined by how much of that mana was used to create them. But there are specific species that consistently pop up in certain areas. Sometimes they're no bigger than a chihuahua, while other times they can be as big as a bus. Or even a house."
"And only sorcerers can see them?"
"Yes. Well, anyone with the potential to perceive mana can if the right conditions are met. Technically speaking."
Okay, now Cyrus was finally starting to get a better understanding of what he was being told. It all still sounded like complete bullshit to him. However, it was hard to argue with something that he could actually see and feel. Either way, he wanted to know more.
"Okay, Ms. Watanabe-"
"Just call me Ayako."
"Okay, Ayako." The young man corrected himself. "What exactly are sorcerers? If you don't mind explaining."
Ayako took a moment to think about what she was going to say. This wasn't exactly a simple topic to explain. Doing so would take well over a day. And she didn't have that kind of time. She was already stuck pulling the overnight shift, and she wanted to get back to her station as soon as possible. So the woman decided to go with a condensed version.
"Okay, so pay attention." The woman began. "In 1952, some sort of event occurred that brought mana into our world. No one actually knows what this event was or what caused it. But we do know that it was related to the detonation of the first hydrogen bomb. Shortly after, sorcerers started appearing across the globe."
"Really?"
"In the entire human population, roughly ten percent of us are born with the genetic potential to sense and perceive mana. Or at least that's what all the geeks say, according to recent studies. However, just having the potential to do so doesn't make you a sorcerer. Of that ten percent, only one to two percent will ever actually awaken the ability to perceive, sense, wield, or manipulate mana. There's a lot more to it than that, especially when it comes to genetics. But that's all that you'll need to know for now."
"Okay." The freckle-faced teen nodded.
"There are a few ways for sorcerers to awaken the ability. For a lot of us, we develop the ability naturally once our bodies hit puberty. That's how it was with me. Or you can have your mana core forcibly activated when your body is ready for it. For others, you need some sort of traumatic event to act as a catalyst to trigger your latent abilities. It's a pretty common occurrence for this to happen as a result of a near-death experience."
Cyrus was doing everything that he could to absorb all of this information. In truth, he found all this to be nothing short of fascinating.
"Got it."
"When a sorcerer finally awakens, a few things happen. The first is that your mana core develops in the spot where your appendix once was. Second, you gain a sort of extrasensory perception that allows you to actually see and sense mana. Third, your body immediately begins to adapt to these changes. This greatly increases your physical capabilities far beyond what normal humans are capable of. And finally, your magical attribute begins to manifest."
"My...magical attribute?"
"Your superpower basically." The woman clarified. "That's the easiest way to explain it. Every sorcerer has a magical attribute. Mine, as you previously saw, is water. Each magical attribute falls into a different category. But there are quite a few of those."
The young man took a moment to look up at the sky as he did his best to process all of this new information. Cyrus was honestly having a difficult time coming to terms with all that he was hearing. He obviously had way more questions than he knew what to do with. But for now, he chose to keep things somewhat simple.
"Wait!" The man then stared directly into Ayako's dark brown eyes. "You said that sorcerers have been around since the fifties, right? Then why haven't I heard about this until now? Don't tell me this is some sort of super-secret society like in all those movies!"
"Psht!" Ayako chuckled. "It's hardly a secret. Sure, the general public doesn't know about it, and for good reason. But every country in the world has at least one governmental body that presides over the sorcerers within its borders. Hell, sorcerers of some of the most popular people in the world."
"What?"
"You know the "Secret Service", the guys that guard the President? All of them are sorcerers. It's basically a requirement for the job. You watch sports?"
"Yeah..."
"Every gold and silver medal in the last five Olympics in weightlifting and track and field has been won by sorcerers. And the last three "Ballon d'Ors" have been won by one of us. Hell, there's even a sorcerer on the Supreme Court. We're all over the place if you know where to look. But most of us just choose to live normal lives as opposed to seeking out fame and fortune."
"Then why all the secrecy?" Was Cyrus's next question. "Especially if sorcerers are everywhere."
"Because humans are dumb, panicky, and irrational. Especially in large numbers. As soon as word gets out that humans capable of doing the things that we can do exist, then all hell will break loose."
"Then how have you guys been able to keep the secret for so long?"
"It's pretty simple when you think about it. And it's why agencies like the DPA exist." Ayako replied. "We make sure that cryptids are dealt with as quickly as possible. Keep a close eye on sorcerers to make sure that they're obeying the law. And arrest those who threaten the safety and security of others. Stuff like that."
"This is all just so hard to believe..." Cyrus said.
Ayako couldn't help but feel for the young man sitting in front of her. She knew just how jarring and ridiculous all of this sounded. Especially to someone who didn't come from a family of sorcerers like she did. It was quite a lot to take in.
Suddenly, a thought popped into the woman's head. A pretty brilliant idea, in her opinion. It wasn't very often that you ran into a newly awakened sorcerer like this. Especially one that could outrun a C-rank cryptid on foot only a few days after getting their powers. The chances of that happening were comically low. And it seemed like the perfect opportunity for her to try something that she's always wanted to.
"Hey, here's an idea! Why don't you join the DPA?"
"What?!" Cyrus sent the woman a confused look.
"Join the DPA!" She repeated. "We're always looking to recruit new agents whenever possible. And our boss was looking to acquire some fresh talent since our Deputy Chief is always away on missions."
"Why in the world would I do that?"
"Well, for starters, the pay is pretty awesome! Even for new recruits! On top of that, you'll receive training on how to control your new abilities. That'll be incredibly useful whenever you learn what your magical attribute is. Especially when you encounter more cryptids."
"When?" The young man arched an eyebrow. "More?"
"That's right." Ayako said with a straight face. "Although they still attack regular humans that cross their paths, cryptids are highly attracted to sorcerers. We're more valuable prey for them since they can feed off our mana. You barely managed to escape from the one earlier. And I can assure you that the one you just ran from won't be the last one you see. So it's better for you to get some proper training so that you can defend yourself when it happens again."
"What the fuck...." The young man's earlier curiosity was now replaced with genuine fear. Terrified at the thought of encountering another one of those monsters.
It was then that Ayako stood up from her seat and began stretching her muscles. "How about this? You don't have to give me an answer right away. I know this is a lot for you to take in, but I think that it'll be a good opportunity for you. You seem like a pretty capable guy. I'd hate for you to end up dying at the hands of one of those monsters, or worse. So I'll just leave you my number and you can give me a call if you're interested."
"So what's the catch?" Cyrus then asked. Which may or may not have been a good idea. "I've seen how these things go in movies. There's always some sort of stipulation or whatever. Isn't there?"
"It's really not like that." She countered. "Think of it as just another job. A rather unique one, but a job nonetheless. As long as you follow the rules and do what you're supposed to, you'll be able to live your life as you please with no worries."
"Seriously?"
"That's right!"
Of course, there was no way that Cyrus could decide on this right now. He needed some time to think and weigh his options. So for the time being, he simply agreed to take the woman's number.
Eventually, Cyrus and Ayako parted ways. Allowing the young man to return to his apartment and finally relax his body. The moment he stepped inside, he dropped himself onto his bed without a care for whatever else was going on around him. With everything that happened over the last couple of hours, he hadn't even realized how tired he was. Even now, the soreness in his muscles was starting to creep up on him.
'What a night...' Was the last thought that ran through Cyrus' head before the young man drifted off into dreamland.